Downing Street parties: Senior Tories demand full Sue Gray report
- Published
Senior Tories have joined opposition MPs in demanding the report on No 10 lockdown parties be published in full.
MP Sir Christopher Chope accused the Met Police of an "abuse of power", amid concerns senior civil servant Sue Gray will leave out crucial findings.
Doubts over how complete the report will be came after the Met asked her to make "minimal reference" to events they are looking at.
A version of the report is yet to be handed to Downing Street.
While no exact timeframe for the report's submission has been given, Ms Gray is expected to submit her report before the Met finishes its investigations.
The force is investigating alleged parties and gatherings at Downing Street and other locations in Whitehall during coronavirus restrictions, and has received evidence from Ms Gray's team.
No 10 has pledged to publish Ms Gray's report "as they receive it".
Sir Christopher, the Conservative MP for Christchurch, accused the police of interfering with Ms Gray's investigation.
"They're not right [to ask for changes] this is not sub judice," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme, referring to active legal proceedings that prohibit public discussion.
"If they had brought charges about individuals... then it would obviously be sub judice.
"That's why I think this is an abuse of power by the Metropolitan Police."
Watch Dame Cressida Dick announce the Met Police's investigation into No 10 lockdown parties
Senior Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood, who has been critical of the prime minister's handling of the issue, also warned that any redacted or watered down report would not "go down well with colleagues" and the public wanted to see the government was on the "road to change".
Another Tory MP Adam Holloway, who said he backs Boris Johnson but is willing to "run with" Ms Gray's findings, told Today: "If I was Boris I would be really quite desperate for the truth to get out."
It followed calls from Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National Party for the report to be published without omissions.
Lord Morris of Aberavon, a former attorney general under ex-Labour PM Tony Blair, said he was dismayed with the police, telling the BBC: "Any prejudice which might result in fines would be a disproportionate concern."
But criminal barrister Matthew Scott, from Pump Court Chambers, said: "Given that they are investigating possible criminal offences I think they are absolutely right to do what they have done and ask.
"They have no power to enforce, but they can ask and they have done, that the relevant parts of the report not be made public before they have completed their inquiry."
'Proportionately'
In a statement on Friday night, the Met defended its request for the Cabinet Office to minimise reference to certain events in Ms Gray's report as being fair to those subject to investigation.
Commander Catherine Roper, who leads the Met's Central Specialist Crime Command, added: "This will only be necessary until these matters are concluded, and is to give detectives the most reliable picture of what happened at these events.
"We intend to complete our investigations promptly, fairly and proportionately.
"We have not delayed this report and the timing of its release is a matter for the Cabinet Office inquiry team."
Commander Roper said the offences under investigation would normally be dealt with by fixed penalty notice.
During the pandemic, fixed penalty notices ordered people to either pay a penalty - between £200 and £10,000 - or opt to face a criminal prosecution, usually at magistrate's court, for alleged breaches of Covid regulations.
Mr Johnson has said he welcomes the Met investigation and that it will "give the public the clarity it needs" over the allegations.
His spokesman said the prime minister did not believe he had broken the law.
At least 13 separate events are reported to have taken place at Downing Street or other buildings in Westminster when London, or the UK, were under tough restrictions.
Meanwhile, senior Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat has become the first MP to publicly say he would consider running for Tory leader if a contest was triggered.
Mr Tugendhat, who chairs Parliament's foreign affairs select committee, told Times Radio "it's up to all of us to put ourselves forward" but he added there was "not a vacancy at the moment" and said he had not been canvassing support.
The government has faced intense pressure over events held in an around Downing Street.
Boris Johnson announced a plan to take the “first careful steps" out of the lockdown that began in March 2020. But he said people should continue to "obey the rules on social distancing and to enforce those rules we will increase the fines for the small minority who break them”.
Legal restrictions at the time said you could not leave your house without a reasonable excuse and government guidance was that you could meet one person outside of your household in an outdoor setting while exercising.
A photo from May 2020 showed the prime minister and his staff with bottles of wine and a cheeseboard in the Downing Street garden. When asked about it, Boris Johnson said, “those people were at work talking about work”.
About 100 people were invited by email to “socially distanced drinks in the No 10 garden” on behalf of the prime minister’s principal private secretary, Martin Reynolds.
Witnesses told the BBC the PM and his wife were among about 30 people who attended.
Boris Johnson has confirmed he attended the event, saying he was there for 25 minutes and “believed implicitly that this was a work event”.
A gathering took place in the Cabinet Office to mark the departure of a No 10 private secretary.
On Boris Johnson’s birthday, up to 30 people gathered in the Cabinet Room at No 10 to present the prime minister with a birthday cake and sing Happy Birthday, according to a report by ITV News.
No 10 said staff had “gathered briefly" to "wish the prime minister a happy birthday", adding that he had been there "for less than 10 minutes”.
Rules at the time banned most indoor gatherings involving more than two people.
Boris Johnson announced plans for a “significant return to normality" in England by Christmas "through targeted, local action” instead of national lockdowns.
But he added that the timetable relied on “every one of us staying alert and acting responsibly”.
With cases of coronavirus rising again, the prime minister told people in England that “we are once again asking you to stay at home” as a new national lockdown began.
He said people should only leave their homes “for work if you can’t work from home, for education, and for essential activities and emergencies”. Indoor gatherings with other households were banned, unless they were for work purposes.
Sources told the BBC that Downing Street staff members attended a gathering with Carrie Johnson in the flat where she and the prime minister live. A spokesman for Mrs Johnson denies the party took place.
A leaving event was held for No 10 aide, Cleo Watson, where people were drinking, and Mr Johnson made a speech, according to sources.
The second national lockdown ended after four weeks but Boris Johnson replaced those restrictions with “tough tiers to keep this virus down”.
London was placed in tier two, which banned two or more people from different households from meeting indoors, unless “reasonably necessary” for work purposes.
The Department for Education has confirmed it had an office gathering to thank staff for their work during the pandemic. It says drinks and snacks were brought by those who attended and no outside guests or support staff were invited.
The Conservative Party has admitted that an “unauthorised gathering” took place at its HQ in Westminster. It was held by the team of the party's London-mayoral candidate, Shaun Bailey, who has since stepped down as chair of the London Assembly police and crime committee. The Metropolitan Police is to speak to two people who attended the party.
Multiple sources have told the BBC there was a Christmas quiz for No 10 staff last year. A photo - published by the Sunday Mirror - showed Boris Johnson taking part and sitting between two colleagues in No 10. Mr Johnson has denied any wrongdoing.
London moved into the highest tier of restrictions and Matt Hancock, who was health secretary at the time, said it was important “everyone is cautious” ahead of the festive period.
The Department for Transport apologised after confirming reports of a party in its offices that day, calling it “inappropriate" and an "error of judgment” by staff.
A leaving party was held at the Cabinet Office for the outgoing head of the civil service Covid taskforce - the team responsible for drawing up coronavirus restrictions.
Kate Josephs, now chief executive of Sheffield City Council, apologised for the event, saying she was “truly sorry that I did this and for the anger that people will feel as a result”.
Downing Street originally denied a report by the Daily Mirror that a party took place in Downing Street.
However, a video obtained by ITV News showed the prime minister's then-press secretary Allegra Stratton, joking about reports of an event, saying: “This fictional party was a business meeting and it was not socially distanced.”
A gathering was held in No 10 Downing Street to mark the departure of two private secretaries.
Lockdown restrictions were eased in England, with pubs and restaurants allowed to reopen with outdoor service only.
However, working from home continued to be recommended and socialising indoors with people from other households was not allowed. Meeting others outdoors was limited to groups of six people or two households.
Two parties were held by Downing Street staff at No 10, the night before Prince Philip's funeral.
One of the events was a leaving party for the PM's then director of communications James Slack, who has apologised for the event and acknowledged it “should not have happened at the time that it did”.
Boris Johnson was not at either party.
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